The Book of Fire: The Beginning Spark
by empathic-girl
Summary: With Sirius dead and the Dursleys insane Harry has to turn to a new guardian. What secrets does she hold? What is her connection with the past? Read to find out. First book in the Phoenix Phire series
1. Prologue

Hello and welcome to the first installment in the Phoenix Phire series. There will be a total of 7 books. Hopefully I keep your attention long enough for all of them.

Disclamer: I own none of these characters except for Theodore, Daphne and Lindsay. The plot is all mine. I make no money off of this, I do it just for fun. I own the book Phoenix and you. Thank you.

* * *

_Fire Phoenix- energetic and childlike, these red and orange based phoneixes only go to those with similar lifestyles. Fire Phoneixes are kind hearted and are the first animal that comes to mind when phoneixes are mentioned. - an excerpt from Phoenix and you by L.M. and D. R. Evans_

Prologue

_Dumbledore sped down the steps past Neville and Harry, who had no more thoughts of leaving. Dumbledore was already at the foot of the steps when the Death Eaters nearest realized he was there and yelled to the others. One of the Death Eaters ran for it, scrabbling like a monkey up the stone steps opposite. Dumbledore's spell pulled him back as easily and effortlessly as though he had hooked him with an invisible line—_

_Only one pair was still battling, apparently unaware of the new arrival. Harry saw Sirius duck Bellatrix's jet of red light: he was laughing at her. _

_'Come on, you can do better that that!' he yelled, his voice echoing around the cavernous room. _

_The second jet of green light hit him squarely in the chest. _

_The laughter had not quite died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock._(1)

* * *

Harry awoke on a plane, beside a Tonks in disguise. The plane was large, with few passengers awake at this late hour. Most were business men and women in suits, and most were asleep. Tonks beside him was pretending to be asleep, but actually was awake listening for signs of danger. The lateness of the hour spoke louder than words outside the plane, where the curve of the earth was visible, creating a blue glow to the far end. As the plane moved further west than Harry had ever been, the light grew brighter and brighter. There was nothing special about the interior of the plane worth mentioning. This was the green eyed boy's first time aboard an aircraft. The plane was headed for a large town in Canada, Harry couldn't remember the name. All he knew about the area was that his new guardian lived there. The Dursley's had been tortured to insanity a few days earlier. Before that Harry spent his days at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He had only recently finished his fifth year at school.

He tried to re-adjust his position to fall asleep again, but could not. His mind drifted to what he knew of his guardian, only to find he knew nothing of her, only that her name was Daphne. He tried to imagine what she would be like and how she would look, but could not. His guilt managed to worm its way back into his head. The guilt over his godfather's death.

Everyone had tried to convince him one way or another that it was not his fault. Some even theorized that Sirius Black wasn't dead. His friends had tried to cheer him up, but to no avail. The Weasley twins had stopped by and pranked Ron a few times as he was in St. Mungos, the only people they cheered up were themselves. Everyone else (including the healers) glared at them, clearly stating they were not helping.

The pain of losing the only adult who he could talk to was settling on his heart. If that wasn't enough, he dreamed of the death almost every night, when not having visions about Voldemort. His mind continued to drift, and he fell into an uncomfortable sleep.

He woke to Tonks shaking him awake to prepare for landing. He grimaced and closed his eyes, re-aligning everything and buckling his seat belt. As they decended, he gripped the arm rests tightly, not enjoying the feeling of the plane landing. His ears popped and he creaked open his eyes a smidgen to find everyone up and getting their carry-ons from the luggage thing. He couldn't remember the exact word for it. Tonks grabbed her small bag and handed him his messenger bag, containing most of his most valuable items. The photo album, the map, his cloak, his wand and his passport, recently aquired and almost brand new. He walked out of the plane, crowded by men and women with leather briefcases, speaking on cell phones. He and Tonks walked over to the luggage cart and grabbed his trunk. An abnormal note from Dumbledore told him not to shrink anything. He had not, and found no reason to. Tonks lead him outside. He felt odd, seeing the sun set in Britian a few hours before only to find it still in the sky, slowly sinking towards the horizon. He smelt salt and felt the wind chill his bones. For the time being the beginning of summer, the night was a little chilly. Harry opened his bag to find a jacket and sliped it on. Tonks was having difficulty finding a cab that would take them out of town. There was a couple hours drive between the city and the small town that Daphne his guardian lived outside of. Tonks finally got a taxi, a bright yellow one, and loaded his trunk inside. The both climbed into the back and Tonks gave the directions. The cabbie looked at them strangely, but took off. The ride was a quiet one. Tonks, having stayed up during the plane ride, allowed herself a small nap.

The cabbie began telling Harry about the area, pointing out land marks and soon they were out of the city, racing towards his unknown new life. The cabbie continued to talk about the people who lived in the cities they past through briefly. He asked a few questions about Harry's life and the life of his friend. Harry told him some of the truth, his previous guardian has just died and he was going to live with someone new. The cabbie cesed asking questions after that. He stared out the window watching the sun sink into the horizon, watching the colours fade. They had finally neared the town and he shook Tonks awake. She streached quietly as the cabbie pulled up beside a medium sized house.

The house was two floors and shaped in a 'T' form, the point of the T facing the highway. The house was pale green with a wrap around porch hugging the bottom of the T. The closest door was on an angle 60 degrees against the corner. The trim was a dark chocolate brown and roof shingles were black. He would have considered it Slytherin based but was not one to judge people based on their houses. There was no fence around the property and the grass was neatly cut. There were a few shrubs around the yard but everything looked nice. The sky was turning a beautiful orange as the sun continued to sink. He glanced at his watch curious of the time, only to find that he had forgot to re-set it to a Canadian time zone. He frowned.

He got out of the car, and Tonks slid out next. She talked to the cabbie as he got this things out of the trunk. He glanced back up at the house, noticing the large spindly tree in the back. The soon to be sixteen year old wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. When he noticed the front door again (a dark sage colour) he also noticed that Tonks was standing beside the door, knocking, already attempting to use the door bell. He jogged over to her, trunk slowing him down. He noticed something that Tonks hadn't, a sign. He pointed it out to Tonks before reading outloud:

"If no one answers the door, try the back door. If that doesn't work ring the bell." Tonks began walking around the porch with it's honey coloured wood. Harry peaked into the windows to see if anyone was there. He saw nothing with the decressing amount of light. After rounding the first corner, they both saw a small table with a few chairs. There was another large window but nothing was seen again. They rounded the second corner and at the very end was another door, the same colour as the front. There were steps downward and a dull silver bell hung ontop of the stairs. Tonks walked over and tried the doorbell. No one came to the door. She walked over to the bell, almost tripping down the steps and grabbed the rope. Just as she was about to ring it, Harry stuffed his fingers in his ears. Tonks rang it hard and They turned to the door, and did not hear anyone coming. That was until they heard a voice from behind them.

"Hello?"

* * *

(1) This is an excerpt from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix page 710.


	2. Chapter 1 Daphne

Welcome to the second Chapter of the book of Fire.

Disclaimer: See last chapter.

* * *

_Fire Phoenixes love to have fun and are often singing. Their songs promote love, serenity and happiness. But like fire they are greedy and quick to burst. They can become angry within minutes of having a smile on before. They also take offense easily. _

Chapter 1- Daphne

The two spun around, one feeling stupid for not noticing someone coming, the other apprehensive at what he might see. Both had some idea of what to expect. Neither of them were expecting the sight before them.

She had fiery red hair that would put any Weasley to shame, and bright emerald green eyes that looked familiar to Harry. She wore her hair extremely short and pixie styled. She was wearing a pair of dirt smeared jean shorts, shin guards and a tank top. The bottom of her sneakers were completely dirt covered, and she wore gardening gloves. Her green eyes held a sparkle in them, a mischievous sparkle. Her eyes sized up Tonks before resting on Harry, eyes widening slightly. They didn't go up to his forehead, looking for the scar, which made him sigh in relief. Her eyes merely stopped at his eyes.

"Hello, you must be Daphne." Tonks spoke, breaking the silence. Daphne looked up at Tonks again. Her eyes flickered to Tonks' hand, which was ready to draw her wand at a moments notice. Harry realized he was unarmed, and moved so that, if there was a fight, he could hide easier, until he could find his wand. He cursed himself for forgetting to move it to a pocket. The woman gave a small snort, obviously thinking something was funny. Neither Tonks or Harry grinned.

The woman's face spread into a wide smile. "I am, and I take it you are Harry's guard." Tonks nodded. "Then that must mean that your Harry. Daphne said to the teen wizard. He nodded seeming to have gone mute. "I'm your aunt Daphne."

"If you really are Daphne, Dumbledore gave me a riddle that you would know. When all light fails..." Tonks broke off, watching Daphne for any sign of lying. The only thing she saw was surprise in the redhead's eyes.

"Depend on the darkness' embrace and the light in your heart to show you the way." She finished the saying. Harry had never heard it before. It sounded familiar though, in the dark recesses of his mind. He frowned, mildly confused.

"Well then, I've kept the cabbie long enough. Good Luck Harry. It was nice meeting you Daphne." Tonks walked back around the porch and in a few minutes the sound of a car pulling away reached Harry's ears.

"I assume you are tired and would like to be heading to bed? Harry nodded stifling a yawn that seemed to come from no where. He felt the tendrils of sleep slowly grasp his brain. She opened the door, and turned on a light. The walls were blank against the dark hard wood floors. There were two staircases in the room. To the far right was a door way into a darkened room. The only thing the light from this room illuminated in the other room was the continuing of the dark flooring. She removed her shoes, Harry did the same. She lead him up about a dozen steps to the second floor. The room was very dark. The only light coming from the light downstairs. She opened a door on the left and flicked a switch. The room lit up quickly. Across the room was a large window, with a view of the almost non-existent sun. The room was larger than his room on Privet Drive. To the the left was a bed that stretched from wall to wall. It was high enough for him to stuff his trunk under without any difficulty. To the right was a dresser and a desk with a lamp. There were a few floating shelves around. Nothing was coloured.

"I had no idea what you'd want to have furnish your room, so we could go out later and get something. The bathroom is straight down the hall. I'll give you a tour of the house tomorrow. Good night." She said, feeling uncomfortable.

"Good night." Harry said, his silence suddenly gone. She closed the door, and he heard the steps creak down stairs. He could hear small things going on below, but could not place any of them. Despite his naps on the plane, he was tired. He quickly changed and removed his glasses before lying down on the bed. Comfortably he fell asleep, not dreaming of Sirius for the first time since his godfather died.

* * *

Light filtered into his room as Harry awoke. The sun was not seen in the blue, cloudless sky. His stomach growled. The faint scent of cinnamon was coming from some other room in the house. He got up from the bed rubbing sleep from his eyes. He reached for his glasses, trying to remember if he had any dreams the night before. Surprisingly he hadn't. He began a routene gathering his things for a shower. He shuffled down the hall. As Daphne had said the night before the bathroom was easy to spot. It was the only other visible door in the hall. He had a quick shower and dried off. He changed and gathered up his things yet again. He opened the door felling wide awake. He was halfway to his room when he noticed something. On the wall opposite the door to his room was a large mural. The wall curved right across from his room.

He took the mural in. There was a full moon in the sky. Below it sat a brown wolf, larger than normal howling up at it. Beside the wolf was a large black dog, ready to pounce on the wolf. Looking at both canines was a stag, keeping a watchful eye, incase of a figt. On the stag was a brown rat, looking ready to scutter away from all three animals. Behind them stood a willow tree, lookign ready to attack. To the right of the animals was a forest that ventually turned to darkness. On the rounded edge were two birds. They were almost phoenixes except for the altered colours. One was white and gold, almost glowing from a light within, the other was black and dark purple, misunderstood and foreboading. He touched to walls expecting the mural to be a roll on, only he felt the uneven feel of the paint and drew his hand away. It was hand painted!

He continued looking noticing little details and marveling at the work, until his stomache growled again. The house was starting to smell like a bakery. He put his things into his room. He followed his nose down the stairs, finding the scent only increased.

Unlike the night previous the ajoining room was lit up. Straight across was a halfway closed door, which guessing from what little he could see was another bathroom. To his right was a bookcase filled with books, some even making small stacks beside the bookcase. To his left was a computer and a desk, further were two glass doors that went into a plastic room with rows of plants (he learnt later that it was a green house). On either side of the door leading to the bathroom were two chairs. There was a coffee table in the centre of the room. Further along the wall was another door frame.

He walked through the room into what he guessed was the foyer. The floor was still the hard wood. There was a coat rack and another door frame. He steped into this room finally finding the origin of the smell. He was in the kitchen. Across the room was Daphne pulling a pan of cinammon buns out of an oven. She placed them on a rack and turned around. He noticed that his must have been the room he was looking into the previous night.

"Morning, how'd you sleep?" She asked turning off the oven, and getting out an electric mixer.

"Morning, I slept fine thanks. I err... saw the mural on the wall upstairs. Who painted it?" HArry inquired watching her go about starting up the beater making icing for the cinammon buns.

"I did." She said turning to look at him. He, in turn, looked at her. He noticed tha she had a few wrinkles, and guessed her age to be less than ten years older than he was. Which made him question something she said last night.

"What did you mean when you said that you were my aunt last night?" He questioned.

"Oh." She said drawing away from her thoughts and returning to her icing. "I'm your mother's twin." She turned the beater off and lathered the buns with icing. "Want one?" She asked, not glancing at him.

"Sure. You know no one ever mentioned that my mum had a twin. I've talked to Remus and..." Harry stopped blinking back tears that were forming. This went unnoticed by Daphne. "and other people who were there in my parents years and they never mentioned you."

"I'm guessing you talked to Padfoot too." She paused long enough for him to nod his head. "Remus and I had a past together and I- left when I was sixteen by accident. I never remae contact with anyone. Except Dumbledore."

"Ohh..." He said. She handed him a plate and he thanked her. She lead him outside to the small table and they sat down. On the way out, she told him where everything was.

"I've got a small property, but there's a river down the way. I wouldn't mind if you pitched in a little, but you don't have to. I'll write you a note giving you an approximate idea of where I am. I expect you to do the same. If I am going into town, I'll wake you up. Other than that, you are free to do as you please. If you're hungry make yourself something. Let me know if you want anything specific to eat or if you are running out of stuff. I catch a girl in your room with a closed door there'll be hell to pay. Obviously don't do anything stupid." She paused collecting her thoughts. "You can't do any magic around here. Literally. There's a ward all around Canada that was created by the Native Americans."

Harry frowned for a moment. "Do you have any information on the wards? I'm supposed to do a write up on a specific type of ward for homework this summer."

"Books on the subject are very rare to find, but as your luck would have it I've got a small collection of the books." She replied. "Take any you would like, just return them."

"Thanks." They finished eating in silence. They cleared the table and Daphne did the dishes. She placed the other buns on a plate in a cake display case.

Harry went upstairs and began to unpack. He place his clothing in the dresser and moved his books to the shelves. He finished and grabbed a large coil notebook. Inside lay hand drawn pictures of his friends and some of the decore of Hogwarts. No one knew of the book, besides him. When he was young he drew to pass the time in his cupboard and he found he had a knack for it. He saved up money he found to buy himself a really good set of pencils and a good notebook. He's kept it ever since.

He picked up the case of pencils and went downstairs to find a note from Daphne. She said she was tending the garden in the greenhouse. He quickly scribbled down a note saying he was going to the river. He left it on the table in the living room, and walked to the back door. He grabbed his sneakers and walked out the door to the river.


	3. Chapter 2 Phoenix and You

Chapter 2!!

Disclaimer: See Prologue

_

* * *

Out of all the types of Phoenix, Fire Phoenixes are the most common. Fire phoenixes have many powers and are very mysterious creatures. Their tears have healing properties and is the antidote for all poisons except for a Dark phoenix's tears. Fire phoenixes have burning days, which is when the phoenix bursts into flames, and is reborn from the ashes. Note: only a Fire phoenix's fire can bring another phoenix back to life. -taken from Phoenix and You by L.M. Evans and D.R. Evans.  
_

Chapter 2- Phoenix and You

Daphne's directions were extremely accurate as Harry found the small river in about twenty minutes after leaving the house. On the way the road was almost completely deserted, except for a larger house along the way. He did not see anyone around the house but decided to ask Daphne if there was anyone living inside of it.

When he reached the river, he couldn't hear any traffic coming from the highway. The only sound that could be heard was the rush of water. Harry sat on one of the bordering rocks and found a fresh page in his sketch book. He began sketching, completely immersed in his work. The scenery was breath taking and the colour of the water was clear. It was one of the few places where nothing seemed to be touched by people.

The sound was so deafening he didn't notice the snowy owl flying down until it had perched upon his shoulder. He glanced up glaring at what had disturbed him only to see the owl had a package clutched in its hand. The owl he finally recognized was Hedwig! He had given Hedwig to Hermione for safe keeping once he learned that the airline didn't allow pets. He smiled and put down his pad. He took the package from Hedwig, noting the familiar script of writing. It was from Hermione. He got up from the rock and walked back to the house. He didn't notice someone watching him through a window in the other larger house. He stepped inside taking off his shoes.

Daphne was sitting on one of the chairs with her legs curled under her reading. They exchanged hellos, and Harry told her he was going upstairs. She told him there was some owl treats in the basement. He nodded and went upstairs. He brought Hedwig into his room and she flew to one of the makeshift perches Fawkes brought him during the fire bird's visits the previous summer. It was fireproof, and Hedwig did not like the feel of it. He sat down on the chair and placed the package on the desk. He opened the attached letter and began to read:

_Harry, _

_I hope this letter finds you well. As I left St. Mungo's you never mentioned where you would be staying. If it is anywhere with Internet access, please create an e-mail account. I'm staying at my parents for the summer so I will be able to write back. My e-mail is (1).  
_

_Harry, I really hope that you aren't beating yourself up over the Ministry incident. Both of my parents thank you hugely. With out you I would not have gotten out of there alive. DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT IT WAS YOUR FAULT I WAS THERE! I had my choice and I chose to stick with you. We all did. You did not force us to go, and it was not your fault. You aren't the cause for any of it. Voldemort is. Bellatrix Lestrange too. You are just a kid, forced into this problem. You should not have had to choose a side. You still should have your parents. (The next few words were blured for water marks) I fell so bad for you. You live this horrible life with those barbaric relatives and I've lived in peace and happiness. _

_Sorry for the tears, I'm just really emotional. _

_My parents wanted to thank you. They gave me some money and we went to Diagon Alley in search of a thank you present. They also got you some muggle things as well. I had one of the teachers who stopped by shrink it for me. It should be the size of a stamp on the outside. I found a book you might find interesting. It's about phoenixes, but I'm guessing it was written by your mother. (You told me her full name was Lily Marie Evans right?)  
_

_Well, have you started on the homework? I'm having a hard time finding a interesting ward to write about. Have you found anything? I was considering doing the paper on Hogwarts wards, but I have a feeling tons of people are going to be doing something to that effect. _

_If you are able to answer, where are you? Hedwig nearly had a fit when I asked her if she would be able to find you. I hope she says he will send you something soon, but judging by how lazy he is, it could be the end of the summer before you get anything. _

_Did Dumbledore tell you what that prophecy was about? Why do you think Voldemort was after it? Do you think it was that weapon that he did not have during the last war? Why do you think there was a question mark beside your name? What happened after you left the hall in search of Bellatrix? I could go on and on with my questions, so I am going to stop there. _

_I hope you like your presents, and thank you again for saving my life. _

_With love, _

_Hermione_

Harry smiled at all of the questions she asked. He glanced at the package wondering why it was larger than she expected. He remembered the ward around Canada and smiled. He opened the package and was just about to glance when he heard a knock on the back door. He paused for a moment and then heard his name being called from downstairs. He glanced back at the package and got up. He walked downstairs to find a stranger sitting in the living room.

The man was tall, a good head over the green eyed wizard, and thinly built. If he could play quiddich, he probably would have been a seeker. He had light brown hair that was a little longer than a buzz cut. His eyes were almost silver, with a hint of green closer to the iris. The man glanced at Harry as he walked in. Harry looked at Daphne for a few moments, not noticing that the an glanced at his forehead. The man looked familiar to Harry, as he glanced back at him. He and Daphne were obviously friends, judging by the way he looked at her. Maybe even a little more?

"Harry, I'd like you to meet Tate Darnell. He lives just down the street from us, in the house on the way to the river. Tate this is my nephew, Harry Brookes." Harry glanced at her fro a second. Her look said I'll explain later. He accepted that. "Tate helps me out with the garden on his days off. He works in town at the police station."

"Nice to meet you Harry." Tate said.

"Nice to meet you too Tate. Listen, Aunt Daphne I've got to do something upstairs, see you around." Harry said before turning around and going back upstairs. He sat back down at his desk and continued opening the package. Once the paper was off all that was left was a box. He opened it and inside on the very top was a book. It was titled _Phoenix and You_ by L.M. Evans and D.R. Evans. It was possible that it was written by his mother and Aunt Daphne! He opened it a began flipping through it. Apparently there was more than one type of Phoenix. There was Fire (like Fawkes), Water, Air, Earth, Light and Dark. Each had their own different powers. Why wasn't this taught at Hogwarts?

He put the book off to the side and looked through the rest of the package. Inside there was a small music player and a few C.D.'s. There was also a wand holster. He smiled at the thought put into this gift. He went about to find a plug for the music player and inserted one of the C.D.'s. A few notes and Harry was hooked on the music. It was a face paced rock song that He had mentioned to Hermione before. He grinned at how much Hermione remembered about him. She was like the sister he never had.

He listened to the music, and heard the front door close. He turned the music off and went downstairs, the book forgotten at the moment. He found Daphne in the same seat as before, with a book in her hand again.

"Do you mind if I use the computer?" Harry asked. She glanced up from her book.

"As long as it does not involve porn, then yes." She went back to her book as a look of mortification crossed Harry's face. He saw her grinning beneath the book and smiled.

"You are one of the more unique adults I have met." Harry said, before turning to the computer. He opened a Explorer page and looked up connectu. They gave free e-mail accounts so he signed up. His e-mail account was (2). He opened up a new letter and began typing with the familiar soft ware. In his muggle school, he was fairly adequate with a computer.

* * *

To: book . worm

From: the . boy . who . lived

Subject: It's Harry

Hermione,

I'm glad to here that you are recovering. I am fine thank you for asking. At the moment I am in Canada. I can't remember the city, or town I live close too. I actually am living with an Aunt of mine, Daphne. She says she is my mother's twin sister.

Thanks for the gifts but you didn't have to get me anything. I was trying to help. Don't worry about any tears you shed, I'm sorry you shed them. I have actually found a set of wards that are very interesting. The books about them are extremely rare to come by, but I can get my hands on a few. They are Native American and they are also the reason why I do not suggest sending anything with magic. The wards are around Canada and don't allow any magic within them.

Dumbledore didn't tell me about the prophecy, and I have no idea why my name had a question mark beside it. Ditto to why Voldemort was after it. Ditto to if it is his secret weapon. I don't want to talk about what happened with Bellatrix.

That's all of your questions, now on to mine. Have you talked to anyone who was at the DoM? Have you seen Dumbledore? How are you feeling? Are you healing fine? Are you going to the headquarters again? Is there any news of Voldemort? Do you know anything about prophecies?

I think that's it for now. I am glad to hear from you and thanks again for the gifts.

Talk to you later,

Harry

* * *

Harry turned around and closed the window after he sent the message.

"How are your friends doing?" Daphne asked.

"Good. Hermione sent me a couple of things. She's the one I just e-mailed."

"I wanted to tell you why you are Harry Brookes." He nodded. "Lily and I were adopted by the Evans and are pure-bloods. My parents died after giving birth and we were placed in a orphanage. My parents surname was Brookes. Also because Harry Potter is too famous. You either had to change your first name around here, or your last. I am sorry I didn't give you a choice." He nodded and went to make himself something to eat.

_

* * *

_(1)_ Due to some random thing wrong with this site, I am unable to type a fake e-mail address. Please feel free to tell me how to do this, because it doesn't save properly. It is supposed to be book(dot)worm(at)connectu(dot)com._

(2)_ Like Hermione's this didn't save. Harry's is the(dot)boy(dot)who(dot)lived(at)connectu(dot)com_


	4. Chapter 3: Not So Sweet Dreams

Welcome to (under my estimate) part 4 of 108 (The total length of the story, all seven books)

Sorry about the inconsistency of my posting but I have a lot on my plate. I'm still writing, just struggling to find a minute to write.

Disclaimer: See the prologue.

* * *

_Finding your innner Phoenix is a painful process, no matter what form you are. Each 'finding' is different, painful in it's own way. The only two recorded 'finding' are from a light phoenix and a dark phoenix. The light phoenix felt like she was unresponsive, the feeling of helplessness, the dark phoenix felt a thousand Crucio's at her back. Both are symbolism for light and dark._ -An excerpt from Phoenix and You

Chapter 3 - (Not So) Sweet Dreams

He was in the graveyard again. This time there was 7 newly dug plots surrounding him. Each had a headstone proclaiming a name. Lily Potter. James Potter. Cedric Diggory. Vernon Dursley. Petunia Dursley. Dudley Dursley. Sirius Black. A man stood, against on of the graves leaning. He had a wand in hand and his face was concealed by shadows. He wore a long cloak with his hood up. All Harry could see of him was blood red eyes. He moved, quickly. He wand waved, a small jet of light hitting each plot. He returned to his stance as if he had never left it.

Suddenly there was a bony hand that rose from the grave of James Potter. It began clawing at the dirt, displacing the earth. Within a few moments of the hand rising another did, and another with the flesh intact. Hands continued to rise and soon, all of the graves were undug. Bodies stood, he glanced at all of them, each more horrifying then the rest. Each had obvious bits of flesh, hair and clothing declaring the identity's of each body.

Lily Potter stood, her hair greasy and red, a dead mess about her head. Various bits of clothing and flesh hung on her grime and blood stained bones. Patches of white were visible, very few clean bits.

James Potter stood beside her, his black hair still attached and sticking up at all ends. He wore glasses, and he had one eye inside his head the other had fallen out and was hanging out by the tendons. He had bits of clothing, and all of his flesh was gone. The bones visible were dirt stained like his wife's.

Cedric Diggory was pale and slowly decomposing. He wore the same robes he had worn on the day he had died. He stared, glaring at Harry.

The Dursleys were a mess, unlike their normal attire. They all wore Saint Mungo's robes and their eyes were rolled back, only the pure white eyes were staring at him, which sent a visible shiver through his spine.

Sirius Black was the last of the corpses, making the final body in the circle around him. Sirius' eyes held no amusement as he looked at him. He held his own grisly sight. He grinned at Harry, a malicious sort of grin that made the hairs on Harry's neck stand on end, because the smile held no amusement like what it usually held.

"You killed me Harry."

"If I hadn't had you, I wouldn't be dead!" Voices were swimming around his head. He jerked around trying to find who was speaking, but no mouths opened.

"We should have given you to an orphanage." The corpses began walking towards him.

"It's your fault freak!"

"All your fault Potter!"

"Boy we should have drowned you when we had the chance." The voices were repeating inside his head, and he tried to creep away, but the bodies were getting closer and closer. He looked for help in the cloaked man, only to find that the hood was thrown back. It was the snake faced man, Voldemort. He opened his mouth and let out a cold, loud laugh.

"It's your fault I'm dead Harry."

"This is pay-back Potter, for all my plans that ended in failure." That voice was discernible. It was Voldemort. He raised his wand, pointing it at the green eyed wizard. Harry could hear the curse through all the layers of voices inside his head, but the colour of the spell was obvious. He saw the acid green beam of light coming straight for him and dodged. Another beam was sent in his direction. This time the boy was held in place by the bodies.

The beam of light slowed down, altering it's colour, and hovering just out of reach. It decided on a colour and sped up. It hit him in the side, sending waves of pain though his body.

He woke up screaming. Seconds after the first out burst, Harry felt a pair of arms encircle him. He began sobbing on a shoulder. A voice whispered softly to him, he couldn't understand the words. He continued to sob, as the hands that encircled him began rubbing his back. He felt safe, safer than he'd ever felt.

When he couldn't cry any longer, he closed his eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?" She spoke. Harry didn't meet her eyes. He took her appearance in, realizing that she was in a pair of flannel pains and a tank top. He stared at her hair, which was unusually messy for her. Her eyes were red rimmed and blood shot. It had looked like they had both been crying. He reached for his glasses and slipped them on, looking across the room to the digital clock displaying the time. It was very early or very late, a time where the brain didn't want to figure out which. He cringed. She was supposed to yell at him for waking her up, annoyed that her sleep was interrupted, but instead, she came and comforted him. He was mildly confused, and it did not bode well for him sleep deprived mind.

"Come downstairs, I'll make you a cup of hot chocolate." She spoke, nullifying the silence that had settled again. She got up, and moved to the door frame. She looked back at him and leaned on the frame. "Don't throw away the key Harry." She moved out the door, attempting to flatten her hair. She probably noticed he had been staring. He heard weight on the stairs, making an almost musical creaking symphony. He got up whipping stray tears from his eyes, the very few that had resisted to fall. He finally noticed his state of undress, and grabbed a shirt. He walked down sliding it over his head, almost tripping on the stairs.

He got into the kitchen just in time to hear the kettle whistle. It was removed and Daphne poured water into two mugs. She handed one to Harry and leaned on the counter again, stiring and looking at him. He began stiring and took a small sip. He deposited the spoon in the sink and stared right back. Then, it felt as if something had burst. His past experiences came out like the breaking of a dam. He continued until he reached his dream. Daphne stood their, occasionally sipping, with a thoughtful look upon her face. She did not inturupt him. When he finished, she took a moment to mull everything over.

"Okay first off, I know Lily. She would never ever think anything remotely similar to what the dream version of her said, let alone go out and think it. She wanted kids since we were kids. She would have given her life without second thought if someone she loved was in danger, including you. James may have been careless at times, but he hd a good heart. He would never have given anyone to an orphanage, just like his parents he would have taken stray kids in. Sirius was as reckless as James. There was nothing you could have done to protect him. You are not the parent, you are the one supposed to be protected. It was his choice to go. You did not force him at gun point to leave the safety of the secret place you talked of.

"The Dursley's treated you like shit. There is no denying it, but you can't change the past, just move on. No kid should ever have been treated the way you were treated. I pitty Dudley, honestly, because once he gets into the real world, he will learn that you can get everything by fake crying or acting innocent. He will have to learn how to work for things. It will be the shock of his life.

"With Cedric, did you know it was a portkey?" She asked, pausing in her rant long enough to let him shake his head. "Did you know it would take you to Voldemort?" Another pause, another shake of the head. "Did you know that Crouch Jr. was taking Polyjuice to look like Moody?" A final shake of the head. "Then how are you to blame? You didn't shoot the spell yourself, it was an accident. None of these people, or anyone related to them have the right to hate you. It was the choices made by the people themselves that lead to their fate." She paused once again, collecting her train of thought.

"Voldemort wouldn't have thought to kill you with the people you love at all. Just remember, your only a kid, and you are only human. The main thing about being human is we make mistakes, everyone does. It is only natural. The important thing is to pick yourself up, learn from it and move on. There is no use dwelling on a piece of the past that you can't change.

Harry listened to every word, considered it, and realised that this was the same thing that everyone else had been telling him all along. She just gave an insight, almost third-party like.

"Thanks." He said finally.

"Don't thank me. I'm your aunt. I was supposed to be there for you, but I wasn't. I hope you forgive me. Besides, it is in my job description to, and I quote 'Figuratively, smack teenagers with the truth.'" Harry grinned. She grew serious, "If you ever need anything at all, don't hesitate to call, or write, or some other means of communication. A rabid pack f kowalas could not keep me away if you needed me."

The implications hit Harry like a douse of cold water. He almost broke down crying again. He had never had anyone care for him that much. He blinked. "Kowalas?" She grinned.

"Now it is two of the hour in the morning. I want to be out of the house at O-seven hundred solider, now get back to your sleeping quarters now. That's an order." He gave her a strange look, but proceded upstairs none the less, her following right behind him, barking out playful commands. He walked in the room and Daphne turned on the light. Her eyes fell upon Harry's open sketch book.

"Oh my word, this is simply amazing!" She sounded shocked, suprised that she had never seen him draw. The sketch was of Lily and James hugging, looking out at the room. "Your a great artist. Have you had any lessons?" She tore her eyes away from the realistic photo, to look at the young wizard. He shock his head. He turned twelve shades of red.

No one knew of his sketch book. No one. Not even Ron or Hermione. He had kept it his well guarded secret for years, and he leaves the book out on the table. He felt like an idiot.

"There is an artist's studio in town. They have a memebership fee, but they let you use their supplies, and a model, if you want. I could bring you in, I know a few teens that go there. I'll do it tomorrow, unless you don't want to." She said. She knew a few teens? He looked at her, properly again, realizing that she looked barely ten years older than he did.

"Thanks." She said before climbing into bed. Daphne said good night and left the room, turning the light off. The only light that illuminated the room was the light of the full moon. As he drifted off to sleep, a much more pleasent dream ahead, the only other inhabitant returned to her room, and sat on her bed. Her pillow was still damp with her tears.


	5. Chapter 4: Burt

Welcome to the next installment of the Book of Fire.

Sorry for the inconsistent updating, I've been busy. Hopefully I can get them out a little bit quicker, but please, bare with me.

Enjoy.

_

* * *

Fire Phoenixes are notoriously known for their red and orange feathers. They are the only type of phoenix that has burning days._ Note: _Fire Phoenix's Fire is the only way any other Phoenixes can be resurrected. _- An excerpt from Phoenix and You

Chapter 4- Burt

The next morning, Harry woke up to a large amount of cursing, coming from the hall. As the profanities got louder and more rude, Harry reached over to pick up his glasses. Slipping them on, he peaked out of the door, seeing Daphne hobbling around on one foot. Clutching the other foot in both hands, she started tipping over to one side. Within a few seconds, she was ass over tea kettle, on the floor, groaning about her head. The wall had opened up slightly, within the dark black of the in between. Inside there was Daphne's bedroom, the walls were a dark green with silver accents. There was a snake hanging on the side, it moved, obviously amused. Harry could hear the translated hissing. It was an odd sound, one that made him stare until he realized it was laughing at her.

"Shut up, you stupid snake!" She said. Harry heard the hiss in reply, and grinned, almost laughing. "You realize that I am not the one who knows what you are saying right?" She grumbled. She limped back into the room, shutting the door, almost magically. He could still hear the faint hissing, but could not make out what the snake was saying. He walked to his desk, and sat down. He heard the door open up, the faint sounds of more grumbling from Daphne, and the door closed. He heard the protesting of the steps as they creaked under the weight of his aunt. He got up, and grabbed his towel, taking it to the bathroom with him. He frowned, upon recalling what she had said. _'I'm not the one who knows what you are saying...' _It meant she knew another pareslmouth. He did not know of anyone else besides him and Voldemort who would know the tongue of the snake. He turned off the water and continued with his normal morning routine. He grabbed his drawing things, and inwardly pushed all of his concerns to the side. He concentrated on the thoughts at hand. Walking downstairs, he saw Daphne out on the porch, where they normally ate at. He grabbed a leftover cinnamon bun and walked outside plopping down beside her.

"Did I wake you?" She asked concerned.

"I heard angry mutterings outside the door." He said, admitting the small piece of information.

"Sorry, I'm not used to people being in the house. Sometimes I just start off." She said, mildly embarrassed. "I don't want to hear any of the words I said today out of your mouth. Anyway, How did you sleep?" He meaning to the question was clear.

"Fine, better." He corrected himself, "Thanks for saying all of that."

"I am your guardian, it is practically in my job description, right after the koala chapter." She finished the last of her bun. "I am your aunt after all.

"I've got to run and grab my wallet and keys. Be back in a few." She walked away with her plate.

She was right. She was his aunt. Did she want him, once his parents died? Before Aunt Petunia? Why didn't he live with her his whole life? Those questions stopped as she came back out. He dropped the line of thought, connecting it to the parselmouth one. He went in and dropped his plate off. Her came back out and saw a dark red pick-up truck, the first Gryffindor colour he'd seen. He had been mildly worried she wasn't a Gryffindor, like the rest of his family. He pushed the thought to the side, grinning and began to walk around the cab. He opened the door and heaved himself up. The truck roared back to life and they made their way into town, with the radio on. The latest pop song vibrated the car, even with the windows down. The cool wind rippled his hair. He barely heard Daphne softly singing along. Her voice sounded almost like a phoenix's.

They pulled into a small parking lot. He noticed a motorcycle in front of the small unimposing building. It was a dark blue. Daphne parked in the space beside it. Harry jumped out, excited as a child on Christmas eve. He walked quickly to the door, quick enough for Daphne to have to jog to keep up. He opened the glass door, and stepped inside. The smell of turpin and chalk hit him full force. Across the room was a large wrap-around desk, surrounded with glass display cases. Each had a single piece of art, a piece of paper standing up, with bold print stating the author's name and the title of the piece. There were about a dozen standard chairs to the right, and to the left was a small boutique. A mixture of pieces of art and art supplies littered the shelves.

He walked up to the desk, only just realizing that no one was sitting there. That is, until he heard muttering. He placed his weight on the display cases, checking to see if they would hold his weight before leaning over the cases. He saw the back of a guy on the floor, attempting to collect spilled paper clips. He had electric blue hair, about an inch all around. He finally collected all of the paper clips and stood up, back still to Harry. Daphne had come up behind him, as the emerald eyed wizard stood up straight. Daphne was grinning like a mad woman, but he paid little attention. Her eyes glinted, as if she knew something he did not.

"Er, excuse me sir?" Harry spoke. The guy turned around to reveal...

Harry was gob smacked. The blue haired boy had breasts. The guy was a girl! His eyes snapped to take in the girl's face. She was tan, and her bangs covered a large portion of her forehead. Her face was heart shaped, a small nose and lips. Her eyes were something else. He felt like she was staring right through his facade. If he hadn't of known that magic could not be performed in Canada, he would have guessed she was using legilimency on him.

She grinned, a full mouth grin that Harry couldn't help but reciprocate. "Nice scar." she said, but he appeared to have not noticed. She was obviously amused that he thought that she was a guy. "Where did you pick him up Daphne, the funny farm?" She turned to face the elder woman, which did not manage to pull harry out of his trance.

"No, he's my nephew." Daphne said, obviously amused as well.

"Nice to meet ya, I'm Burt Smith. How can I help you?" She said. She had put the paper clips down some time ago. He was too busy looking at her eyes. What colour were they? He wondered. He had forgotten to check. A deep sincere gray. He had suddenly realized that she was staring at him to; waiting for him to answer her.

His cheeks stained red, and he answered "I'd like a membership."

"Well I can definitely help you with that. We've got weekly, monthly and yearly memberships. How long are you staying?" She asked.

He blinked, obviously not sure. "A weekly membership, please, I don't know how long I will be staying." She nodded and sat down. she handed him a clipboard with a membership application form on it.

"Fill that out and bring it back. With one week memberships you get 50% off of one thing in the store, besides artwork." Burt said grinning, she turned back to Daphne, asking if she ha any business.

"No, I'm fine." She said. Harry went to sit in one of the chairs. He looked at the form. It asked for simple things, his name, his age, his date of birth, place he lives, guardian(s), address, phone number, work number, cell number, his school/work, the address of the school, and the phone number. He answered the first few, placing Harry Brookes instead of Potter. He filled in the lines, until he reached the school. Daphne then took the board from him. She wrote a few things down before handing the board over. He glanced at the final three lines upside down.

**School: Hogwarts Preparatory Academy**

**Address: 18 Warlock Street, London England**

**Phone Number: 4-6-4-9-2-7-8-7**

He frowned, confused. Burt took the clip board and began typing quickly on the keyboard. She hit a button and the printer began printing.

"Here's your card. Give me a second and I'll give you a tour." She said.

"LINDSAY!!!" A voice shrieked. Burt grimaced. She turned towards a door that he did not notice.

"Yes, Inga?" She spoke.

"Bring me a cup of tea! Did you fill the orders for the new easels we need?" The voice came from the back, obviously ticked off.

"Yes I did and I will get the cup to you soon." She said, rolling her gray eyes. "Sorry." She said before scurrying off to get the cup. She returned in a few moments and gave the cup to the woman behind the door.

She gave Harry a tour, talking all the way. There was just something about them that clicked. He set himself up in a room with no model and got to work.

Over the next few days their friendship grew. They talked over her lunch break, with burgers, or a slice of pizza. They called each other at home, talking until late at night. She expressed a felling of missing something to make her complete. He told her about his friends and school (avoiding all of the magical parts). They knew each other's favourite colours, and never ran out of things to say, to ask.

* * *

On Thursday, Harry was sitting alone in the same room he had chosen in the beginning of the week. He was so focused on the painting he didn't hear her walk behind him.

"Is that a friend of yours with you?" She asked, looking at the picture. He didn't jump, but he gasped. He looked behind, seeing her in a simple outfit. He looked back at the painting. It was a man who looked very similar to him hugging a red haired woman. They were both smiling. The woman had his eyes.

"No, it's my parents." He said.

"Oh." She breathed. They had never talked about their family lives. It was an unspoken rule. "Sorry to say but, where shutting down." Harry nodded, expecting it. He gathered his things into his new satchel. He had bought it with the 50% off sale they had. He helped her pack up. The Dragon Lady, a.k.a. Inga Hilgred, the owner of the establishment had left early, like she always did. As Burt locked the door, Harry stood waiting for her to finish. They usually grabbed a bite to eat and then he called Aunt Daphne on his new cell phone. She stood back up, slipping the keys into her bag, and they began walking. The town knew that they were friends, and often said hi as they walked by. They grabbed a slice of pizza from the pizzeria down the street. They sat on a bench.

"So, I was wondering if you were free tomorrow night?" She asked. Harry's heart sped up a little bit. He'd developed a small crush on her over the time they had spent together.

"Why?" He asked, trying to act cool, and aloft.

"Well, me and some of my other friendsare having a beach party, and I was wondering if you wanted to come." She said.

"Sure." He grinned.

"Great you can meet Jake!" She said, "He's been away for a little bit and I kinda miss him."

"Who's Jake?"

"My boyfriend." Harry's heart sank. _ A boyfriend?_ He didn't have a chance with her.


	6. Chapter 5: Parties and Prophecies

Hello, this one is extra long cuz I haven't been updating recently. Hope you like it!

* * *

_The phoenix is a proud creature and detests being called a turkey. Unless you have knowledge to protect your self, NEVER call a phoenix a turkey, chicken, or any other dergitory name. - _An excerpt from _Phoenix and You_

Chapter 5- Parties and Prophecies

Harry barely spoke to Daphne on the way back home. Inside his head, he was beating himself up. _Of course she has a boyfriend. How could I be so stupid to think that she didn't! I mean Cho had a boyfriend! And I watched him die! I must be completely undesirable. _If Daphne had any idea of what he was thinking, she didn't mention it. He told her about the party, and she told him what she would do to him if he came home drunk. ('_I'll do the same thing to you as I did with your father when he was sixteen! I catch you drunk I will drive you down the bumpiest road, and scream everything at you the next day. That will teach you to drink!_') Harry went to sleep hoping the next day would never come.

Unfortunately for Harry, the next day did come. He grabbed the recently bought swimming trunks and a towel, stuffing them in a bag. He slowly walked downstairs postponing the inevitable. Daphne had a blank look on her face as he entered the kitchen. The sun was shinning brightly throught the windows. Was not there a long respected rule that the weather was to reflect your mood? Once Daphne spotted him, she plastered a smile on her face. He did not know how he knew, but he knew it was a fake. He ignored that notion.

"You have your cell?" Daphne asked preparing some form of food. She spoke of another recently bought item, his cell phone. Daphne had declared there to be not enough pay phones in the area, so she bought him the small little silver phone. Harry grabbed a bowl of cereal and stated that yes he did have the cell, and before she could ask, told her that he charged it last night.

As slowly as he walked, he still made it into the studio near his normal time. He nodded at Burt before walking into an art room, collecting his canvas and supplies. He began his work, not paying attention to the other members filling in. A few said hello, and he replied. The time slipped by slowly. Most of it was spent deciding which colour closely resembled his mother's eye colour. As per normal he went out to eat something with Burt, and they talked about teachers. He gave his best impression of Snape (' _P- Brookes, you dunderhead, what do you think you were doing, don't you know ..._') and she gave her best impression of her English teacher ('_Smith, is that drawing in your notebook, are you actually reading in class? Well, we will just have to send you to the principal's office then, won't we? You will explain to him what you are doing..._'). She quoted her favourite TV series that got cancelled, ('_Y'all see the man hangin' out of the spaceship with the really big gun? I'm not saying you weren't easy to find, but it was kind of out of our way and he didn't wanna come in the first place. Man's lookin' to kill some folk. So really it's his will y'all should worry about thwarting._' - 1) They were both laughing so hard, Harry almost forgot she had a boyfriend. Almost. They returned and Burt went back to work. Harry went back to painting. He was uninterrupted until the woman who owned the studio stopped by.

"You the nephew of Daphne Brookes?" She spoke, beside him. Harry jumped. He barely noticed her come in.

"Yes. Is there something the matter with her?"

"She's, strange. He aunt gave her the house. You know what?" Harry stopped to look at her, curious. "She looks exactly like her aunt. Everything! Down to her wrinkles. Her aunt married a man named... Hmm..." She walked off, confused. Harry frowned, not expecting that the woman talk to him at all. He returned to his work, after scribbling down the latest piece of information.

Hours slipped by slowly and soon, Burt was knocking on the door, letting Harry know that the studio was closing.

* * *

Ten minutes outside of town, Daphne was sitting down on an easy chair, feet up in the air. Harry would be out of the house for a wee bit, which gave her time to reflect over the past week.

DING-DONG!

"So much for time to reflect..." She muttered. She walked to the front door, opening it. She found Tate on the front step. _He looks so much like-_ She pushed that thought out of her head quickly, attempting to avoid the sorrow that soon would fill her heart.

"What can I do for you Tate?" She asked, once pleasantries were exchanged.

"I was wondering if you have any plans for tonight?" He spoke, almost cautiously. _The resemblance between him and- _once again she stopped that thought.

"Look Tate, your a nice guy and all, but-" He cut her off.

"I meant for dinner, as friends." Tate said, "Not that you are unattractive, but well, every year since you've moved here, you've spent this day alone. It's been six years. Maybe you need some company." He grinned at her, and her heart sank. She did not want to lie to him, but she had to. She plastered another fake smile on and spoke:

"Thanks for looking out for me but I am fine." Strike one, "July 6th has no sad meaning for me." Strike two, "Harry is coming home soon, so I won't be alone tonight." Strike three, you're out! He did not look convinced, but he let it drop. They continued talking for a few moments, and he left.

"So long as you aren't alone tonight!" He said turning away, and began walking down the road.

_I'm always going to be alone._

_

* * *

_Harry was leaning on one of the glass display cases, waiting for Burt to come out of the staff room. She appeared, holding something. He did not get a good look at it before she chucked it at him. He caught it out of reflex. He looked down to find that it was a helmet.

"Your driving is this dangerous?" He joked, looking at her.

"Come on, funny guy, get out and let me lock up." She said mock glaring at him. He waited outside, his emerald eyes taking a sweep of the parking lot. There were no cars or trucks there. The only transportation vehicle was the blue motorcycle he spotted the first day this week. Harry froze, eyes locked with the small machine. Memorizes flooded into his brain, Memories of flying motorcycles, invisible cars, and a fading dog star. "Something the matter?" Daphne said walking up beside him. He didn't answer. "Are you afraid of motorbikes?" No answer. "Ah, If so, I can get one of the guys to drive out and pick us up. It's no trouble..." She began babbling, something that Harry noticed she did when she was nervous.

"It's alright. I-er... My recently deceased godfather rode a motorcycle. It just brought back memories. I'll be fine."She looked at him, studying the teen with piercing eyes. Satisfied with what she saw, she got on. He got on behind her, placing both hands on either side of her waist. She slipped on her helmet, and he fixed his. She grabbed his hand and crossed them so they rested on her stomach. She moved her feet and away they sped.

The ride took a total of twenty minutes, but Harry was certain that if anyone else was driving it would have taken thirty. When they pulled up amongst a large amount of cars, Harry could not see a beach, although he did hear steady pounding of music. Burt lead him through a forest, the music growing louder with each step they took. Finally they reached the source of the noise.

Harry's jaw dropped.

* * *

Daphne had ended up downstairs in her basement. One half held a pantry, the other half was a secret room, with a hidden door. A box was open, it's contents littered about in piles that made no sense to anyone looking in on the scene. The closest pile was of muggle photographs, the top of two girls, identical in front of a large scarlet steam engine. Another pile were letters, containing phrases like : **_I shall always love you._** and **_Until we meet again, my love..._**

Tears streaked down the only occupant of the room's face, In one hand she held three chains. Each held a different locket. The first chain and locket was a golden oval. Inside, on one side was a picture of two red haired twins. The other side said: _**Forever and always**_, while a matching locket that was currently three feet under ground said:_** My twin you shall be**_.

A second locket was made of platinum, and was also oval shaped. The front held an engraving of "Phe-Phe" while the inside held two photo's: one of a group of five people, the other was of one person with a group of 4 animals, one dark coloured bird, an stag, a dog and a small rat.

The final locket was made of silver, in the shape of a heart. It's chain also held an engagement ring, silver with a small dark coloured gem. The locket would not open unless the other one was close, Magic or not.

Tears began streaming down Daphne's cheeks again. She threw the lockets across the room, running out, forgetting to close the door.

As the three lockets landed, all of them opened.

* * *

The party was in full swing by the time the duo arrived. Burt introduced Harry to Alex Sullivan, the man who knew everyone. She then went off in search of Jake, her boyfriend. Alex introduced him to most of the party goers, telling him about their choices in dates. Harry could tell easily that Alex wasn't the straightest guy around.

When Daphne finally made her way back over towards him with a tall American football player on her arm. The man was buff, blond, and seemed odd. He stared openly at most people that passed, men and women. Burt either did not know about this fact or was completely ignoring it. Alex gave his normal comments on the incoming couple.

"Harry, this is Jake Carver, my boyfriend." Burt said, arriving in front of the two men. "Jake this is Harry Brookes, the guy from work."

"Nice to met ya!" Jake said slapping Harry's back, hard.

"You too." Harry said, fake grin plastered on his face.

"Come on Jake, let's go mingle." Burt said. As they walked away, Jake spoke again:

"Come on Linds, I wasn't going to hurt him. Are you ever undying your hair? I'm getting laughed at by the guys!"

"Crusing on our Lindsay?"

Harry swiveled, barely noticing that Alex was following the couple that had just left. He then saw the one who spoke. A teen, brown hair, brown eyes.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Harry answered playing dumb.

"Shame, I would much rather she date you, than that meat head."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm a good friend of Burt's. One of the few who she actually allows to call Lindsay. I watch out for her. I have a theory that Jake's cheating on her."

* * *

The quiet of the house was absolute. She wished she could fly. She whipped the tears threatening to fall. She was on the porch roof, watching the sun sink past the horizon. Finally it sunk, as a flash of fire erupted beside her. She fell off in surprise. She concentrated hard on her wish for wings.

* * *

"What do you mean, you think he's cheating on her?" Harry asked.

"Did you notice the look between Jake and Alex?"

* * *

The quiet trill woke her up. She sat up and glared at the fire phoenix. She stretched, her past action had used muscles, she hadn't used for six years. The phoenix trilled giving off the impression he was laughing at her.

"Just give me the letter, you turkey." She grumbled. Fawkes held out a leg. She grabbed the letter. The phoenix followed her inside, making a perch of the back of the computer chair.

Daphne opened the letter.

* * *

"Not really."

The other teen rolled his eyes, walking away. The time passed quickly after that, the hours spent dancing laughing at a few of Burt's friends, and politely refusing invitations to go out into the woods with some girl.

The stars were shinning brightly in the sky when Burt came by, asking Harry if he wanted to head home. He agreed. She lead him back through the woods, and they straddled the motorcycle. Burt sped away into the night.

* * *

Daphne was freaking out marginally. The letter the fire turkey gave her was from Dumbledore. The letter contained a prophecy. She couldn't make head or tales of. Glancing on the piece of paper, she read through it one more time, noticing that the nights hours were fading quickly. She read it out loud, hoping for it to make sense:

"**A grim star, with it's fiery ball of inferno, shall never fade, only disappear for a few moments,**

**The Warrioress shall aid all, do not let it fade to the impostor,**

**Fire can heal all of lights wounds, Light can heal all of Darkness',**

**Beware Lion's Keeper, as you walk with the moon by your side, **

**Pay attention to those who shield, they are not as they seem,**

**Do not worry about your past, or your future, watch your present, guard it carefully,**

**When all light fades, depend on the darkness's embrace, and the powers in your hearts to show you the way.**"

She groaned, not making sense of anything.

* * *

They were beside one of the clearings when Burt pulled over, pulling out her cellphone after the engine was off.

"Burt here!" She said grinning. "Oh, hey Shelly. I know you hate that name as much as you hate your brown hair." Harry frowned, could this be the freaky guy who talked to him at the party? Burt frowned, "What do you mean you saw him!?" Her face crumpled quickly, not enjoying the conversation at all. "Thanks, Sheldon, for looking out for me. Tell him we are through, and if I see his face I will pound it in so hard he will not know what hit him." She hung up, and sank to the ground. Harry got off the bike and joined her. "Harry, are all guys bastards, or is it just the ones I chose?" She asked, looking into his emerald eyes.

"What happened?" Harry asked almost afraid of the answer.

"Apparently Jake went into the forest after I left." Harry winced, realizing from the tone in her voice that Jake had went for the 'make out/go all the way' spot. "He brought along Alex." She said and began sobbing into his shoulder. They stayed there for some time, he was comforting her the whole time. They boarded the bike again, making their way back to his house. He said good bye, telling her that there would be someone out there who would actually appreciate her.

He entered the house, and didn't notice the sleeping phoenix in the corner. The room had been cleaned, there was nothing lying around. He walked up the stairs and walked into his room. He changed quickly and fell asleep as soon as his head touched the pillow

* * *

1- This is a contest. The fifth person who gives me a.) The name of the TV show b.) The creator of the TV show, c.) The episode it is in, d.) The character it is said by, e.) and the actor's name, I shall answer one (1) question about the story. I trust you to keep the answer to your self.


	7. Chapter 6: Second Degrees give No Second

Hello! Sorry for being so late, things just caught up with me, and I forgot what I wanted to do with this chapter.

Anyway, I noticed that no one entered the contest. Maybe you don't have any questions or something? If you don't know what I am talking about, the challenge is on both my profile and the previous chapter.

Happy Reading!

* * *

_The wards surrounding Canada are to prevent magic from being used. This does not mean that nothing magical works in this country. This merely means that anything which is embedded with magic still works. _- Quotation from Canadian Wards

Chapter 6 - Second Degrees give No Second Chances

The next morning Harry woke up to the soft sound of a phoenix trilling. He opened his eyes and blinked, attempting to make sure what he saw was indeed real. It was. There was a orangie-goldish-red blob perched on the foot of his bed. He reached for his glasses, jamming them on his nose. A fire phoenix was sitting on the foot of his bed. Not just any phoenix, he noticed, but Fawkes.

"AUNT DAPHNE!" Harry cried out, confusion with a hint of fear masking his tone. He was not sure if he was dreaming or hallucinating, or if it was real.

It only took a few moments for the familiar bob of red hair to arrive in front of his door.

"What the bloody hell is that?" Harry said, quoting one of his friends favourite saying.

"That is a fire phoenix." Daphne said, her eyes dancing in mirth. "Albus Dumbledore's to be exact.

"And why is Fawkes here?" Harry asked annoyance coating each word like chocolate around cherries.

"Dumbledore's decided he'll be here for protection."

"What if someone sees him? Wouldn't that draw unwanted questions?"

"People see what they want to see. Now get up. I've decided you need to learn how to drive." With that, she walked out of the door frame. Harry leaped out of bed and ran to the stairs. He leaned over them and called down:

"What?!"

* * *

Tucked in the driver's seat, Harry was almost sure that his breakfast was going to come back up. He was behind the wheel of a truck! Something that could kill someone.

Daphne had explained things moments before but he could barely remember.

"Now turn on the ignition." A voice pierced through his jumbled thoughts. He grinned to himself, taking pride in remembering where the ignition was. He turned the key and let out a sigh of relief as the loud motor went on with the first try. "Now move the car forward." Harry frowned. There were two petals at his feet. Which one did what again? He chose one without thinking and placed all of his weight on it. The car lurched forward, sending both Daphne and Harry backwards. "BRAKE!" she screamed beside him. Harry supposed this was the other petal and remove the one foot and place it down hard on the other petal in a state of panic. Both the passenger and the driver went forward, Harry hitting his head on the wheel. Daphne straightened out first, and began rubbing her neck, muttering about whiplash. He quickly glanced out the windshield and saw that they has traveled far for five seconds. "Okay, one more time, but try putting your foot down a lot more slower."

A few more times of stopping and going, all Harry got good at was giving the both of them whiplash. He was almost certain that you could not see his scar because of the large bruise now forming on his forehead.

Over the course of the next few days Harry slowly became better at **not** giving either of them whiplash. Good enough, that once Thursday rolled around, Daphne was almost certain that he could drive as good as she could. Which means that this warranted a cake. As they walked in for lunch, Daphne was mentioning the things she needed from downstairs when the phone rang. She stopped in mid sentence and jogged for the phone. She picked it up and gave a quick "Hello" before stopping to listen.

Since Monday Daphne had been getting strange phone calls. Each time, she would give Harry a job to do the entire time she was talking, outside of the room. Normally when someone called, she didn't mind if he was in or not. He had tried eavesdropping before, hearing only of something happening Monday. He'd also heard his name pop up once or twice- a call. He was worried. In attempts to add together what he had learned of her, he continually came out with Death Eater. A brand new aunt, knows someone who talks parceltongue, and talks about him to someone while he is outside of the room.

As he was lost in his thoughts, Daphne glanced up for a moment, almost as if she had forgotten that he was there. She asked the person to hold on for a moment.

"Harry, do you mind running down to the cellar to grab those things for me?" She said, pulling the emerald eyed wizard out of his thoughts. "Thanks." She said once he nodded his head. He walked towards the cellar steps slowly, attempting to gleam something else of what was going on.

"Are...sure? I... he's just a kid... No, nothing like that... in a cage? Why? He won't break free. Tell me again. ... buttons? Really... Romulus is sure he smelt him?... Have you told... -master?"

Harry frowned. He walked down the steps, considering what he had just heard. Romulus was a Death Eater's name right? And who was she referring to as master? The only person that he knew of were the Death Eaters referring to Voldemort. He frowned, arriving down in the musty smelling room.

From wall to wall were shelves filled with enough food to feed an army. He began taking cans and bins of things in one of the baskets down on the stairs. He was almost finished, only needing to grab one more thing. This thing off course had to be at the very back of the shelf. He reached his fingers closing around the object and accidentally hit a can. It fell and rolled underneath the shelving unit. He placed the one thing in the basket and dropped to the floor attempting to reach the can. His arm wasn't long enough. This mad him frown. The shelves only came out to his elbow, then why could he stick his whole hand though where there ought to be concrete walls. He got up and attempted to move the unit, to find it wasn't attached as he once thought. He moved it away easily enough and walked inside a room. Inside there were many different boxes of things, none of which caught his eye. He scanned the room, and spotted a small glint of something.

He walked towards it seeing three lockets laying face up, open. He glanced over the pictures, taking no notice of the words attached. Two twin red head girls sitting on a bench. A group photo of the Marauders with one of the redhead girls laying across their laps. And finally a picture of the same red haired girl, beside a dark haired man, kissing her on the cheek. The man reminded him of someone but he could not figure out who. The two looked to be dating. He tore his eyes from them suddenly remembering what he was supposed to be doing. As he walked out he picked up the can that found this place and closed the door. He put the can back and brought the ingredients up. Daphne had finished her phone call, and was standing in the kitchen searching for something. He dropped the things off and walked out to the living room, going online. He was about to get to the bottom of this whole problem. He was going to ask Hermione for help, planning on bribing her with the book on Canadian wards. He opened a new e-mail and began typing.

* * *

From: the . boy . who . lived

To: Book . worm

Subject: A Research Project

Hermione, I was wondering if you could help me out with something. Each week I am here more question marks seem to be following Aunt Daphne. If you help me out I'll send you a book on the wards surrounding Canada.

Harry

* * *

From: book . worm

To: the . boy . who . lived

Subject: RE: A Research Project

Harry,

Send me the book and I'll see what I can do.

Hermione

* * *

Harry grinned at the almost instantaneous response.

Logging off, he ran to the bookcase grabbing Canadian Wards from the book shelf and going upstairs, placing it in Hedwig's green traveling pouch. He snorted that both the small owl and the phoenix were sitting on the same perch. He gave Hedwig the bag and told her to bring it to Hermione.

Little did he know that the one simple action of sending the book was the spark that began everything to come.

* * *

As the sun rose behind menacing clouds that Friday morning Daphne had wrote a note to Harry telling him that he could take the truck anywhere he wanted as long as he was home before 10 p.m. He was pleased, not by the fact that he had been deemed good enough to drive to town, but by the fact that he hadn't crashed the whole time he was learning. He had decided to go to the studio, not knowing that there was going to be no way of being inside the studio today. (It seemed that Inga, the woman who owned the church was extremely superstitious. So superstitious that she closed down the studio on account of it being Friday the thirteenth. Most people were used to her by now, except for the latest secretary and the latest member of the studio.) Harry had managed to make his way into town without being picked up by the police, and was pulling into the parking lot of the studio when he saw something odd. Odder than the clouds quickly darkening in the sky. Burt was in front of the doors.

"Hey!" He called, climbing out of the cab of the truck. The shocking blue hair turned, hearing Harry's loud call.

"Hey!" She called back. There seemed to be no trace of the girl Harry had seen the previous Friday night, until he looked closer. She had bags under her eyes and he noticed she didn't look as put together as she normally did. He arrived closer, noticing the small sign on the glass doors, saying that the studio was indeed closed today. It was then that the clouds had decided to open, letting the huge droplets, coming down in sheets, fall. It was enough to soak both of the teens standing in the rain in a matter of seconds. It hit the truck, making panging sounds. Harry glanced to her bike, noticing that it was not wet thanks to the overhang.

Harry was wondering just what else could happen today, when, of course, he was answered. They both turned towards the car driving into the parking lot. Harry immediately recognized it as one of the cars in front of the beach he'd been to last Friday. It was this fact that filled him with dread. The car parked. A semi-familiar figure got out, almost instantly soaked by the falling rain. Burt's eyes narrowed. It was Jake, who came strolling up, paying no attention to Harry.

"Lindsay, hey, we need to talk about the party. I've been trying to talk to you for ages-"

"Talk about what Jake? How you and Alex went to go have a good fuck in the woods after I left? Or maybe about the fact that we are so completely over!? Or even the fact that when I said that when I see your face I will pound it in so hard you will not know what hit you, I WAS FUCKING SERIOUS?!" Burt said shaking with fury.

"Like you could hurt me." Jake snorted. Collective opinion in the town indicates that everyone was pretty sure that Jake was somewhere from not very bright to extremely stupid. Which would explain why he angered her even further. Apparently, no one in the parking lot, except for Burt knew that she was a second degree black belt. Now knowing this information, you probably will not be surprised at what happens next.

Burt's eyes narrowed further, and she looked as if she were contemplating something. Once the decision was made, her eyes grew frostily cold and she snapped into action. HE leg moved so quickly that one minute it was on the ground, the next it had impacted with Jake's jaw. Her foot came down as she spun around, using her already built momentum to sock him in the gut. He doubled over in pain, one arm around his middle, the other attempting to protect himself. She grabbed the arm that was extended and turned around, flipping him over her back in the process. She stopped stooping down to check and make sure that she was breathing before getting up to run to her car. Harry had finished computing the scene once she was halfway to her bike.

"Wait!" He spoke, his mouth working faster than his brain. She turned. "Your going to get soaked and catch a cold before you get home. Let me drive you to my place to wait out the rain." She stared at him. The both felt the rain fall even harder before she nodded. They climbed into the cab. He pulled out of the parking lot leaving Jake, who had managed to get up and was slowly limping to his car, wincing in pain with each step. She had left him with bruises, nothing more. Inside the cab, an uncomfortable silence had fallen over the two of them, like a blanket. Burt was the first to break it.

"Ask me."

"Ask you what?"

"How, Why, When, Anything."

"I-"

"I was three when my father enrolled me into Martial Arts. It was the only thing my parents ever agreed on. Me being able to take care of myself, I mean. Mother didn't want me in for as long as I've been in classes. I received my second degree black belt two weeks ago. My mother was completely against it, but both dad and I insisted. It was something I loved going to." She paused for a moment, studying her hands as if they would be able to tell the story too. "The reason I did that to him was me being rash. Usually I have great control over my temper. I work out the days anger during the night. There are very few things that can spike my anger so quickly and one of them is cheating on someone."

"Wow." It pretty well summed it up.

"Most people stop talking to me once they know."

"I wouldn't do that. It's just surprising, that's all." He said pulling into his driveway. They opened the doors once the engine was off and ran for the house. Burt was covered in dirt and sweat, so she asked Harry if he wouldn't mind if she used the shower. He allowed her to use it, while he went to fix lunch. It wasn't until after he heard her scream that he remembered that Fawkes was in the house. He tore up the stairs, searching for a lie to explain a mythological fire phoenix in his room. He found her in a towel, petting Fawkes. He stopped once he realized what she was wearing.

"Sorry I screamed, I wasn't expecting a parrot in your room." She said. He nodded, his face aflame. For Harry the rest of the time spent passed quickly. He made good on his suggestion to bring her back once the rain ended, which was now. He was waiting for her, while she was in the bathroom getting ready. As she walked out, he became suspicious She had magically grown blond hair at waist length.

Burt noticed him staring. "Is it crocked?" She asked, stopping in front of a mirror. She tugged off her hair. It was... a wig? He opened his mouth to ask, but Burt beat him to the chance. "My mother doesn't know I cut and dyed my hair. She expects me to be a 'lady'. But that is so not me." Harry nodded. He drove her into town. When he pulled into the studio, Jake nor his car were around. She was about to get out, but halted movement, only to lean closer to Harry, pecking him on the cheek.

"Thanks." She said, offering goodbyes before closing the door. His mind spent the ride home churning over thoughts in his head about Burt.


	8. Chapter 7: Ahh The Life of a Button

Hello my followers, If I may call you that. Review and tell me if you agree. I've been getting a constant stream of readers. YES!!! Thank you to all of you people out there who are reading. I am sorry I have not updated in a little bit. I have been very busy the past few weeks and probably will not be able to get something else out for another few weeks.

So anyone with theories as to what the beginning part of the prophecy entails, this is the chapter that explains the first line.

And Tate Lee Darnell is mentioned again!! My very own Mary Sue.

So everyone, please enjoy. I will explain the first line of the prophecy at the very bottom, and will keep it at the end until the next book is started.

I have definitely learned my lesson, so the next book will not be coming out until I have written at least half of it. Do not fret.

* * *

_"Fire Phoenix song can cheer people up, but it also gives people passion and power. It has often been used as a battle cry for major magical warriors including but limited to the Goblin Rebellion, and the Order of the Phoenix."_- taken from Phoenix and You

Chapter 7- Ahhh.... The Life of a Button

**July 22, 1996- 5:27 A.M. - Daphne's House, Somewhere in Canada**

That night, Harry had a strange dream. In it was a dog that looked like a grim. _Padfoot._ It was impossible. He chased around his tail before looking deeply into Harry's eyes. _Don't give up on me, _they screamed.

He woke to being shaken awake. Hovering over him was a red blob. He reached for his glasses. He blinked, and Daphne came into focus. He glanced at the digital clock beside his bed and gasped. 5:30 AM!!!

"Sorry for it being so early kid, I just got an e-mail from a very important client. He wants me to fly over there ASAP. Unfortunately for you, I am not allowed to leave you in the house alone unguarded. Normally we'd get someone from the Order to visit, but it's to late to get anyone, and if you have James' knack for trouble, I'll leave you here and I won't even be on the plane before I get called by someone or other saying you're in big trouble. So pack. It should be warm where we are going, and I want you to be ready to leave in an hour. Okay, I've got to go pack myself." Daphne said, in an apologetic tone. She walked out, and turned almost remembering something. "Bring your passport too, okay." She said before leaving.

An hour later, Harry was dragging a luggage bag downstairs. He stopped once he finally reached the bottom, and laid it down with the other luggage bag and a laptop case. Daphne was in the living room, on the phone. She saw Harry and waved him inside. She continued to speak into the receiver, "Yes Tate I realize that it is six in the bloody morning. Yes, I know it is too early. Yes, I realize that there is a lot going on, but I need you to watch over my garden for a week, max. Yes, I realize what an inconvenience it is for you and that you already had plans. I did too, but unfortunately my client believes that I don't have a life. Really, thanks! I owe you one! Bye." She turned to the boy-who-lived and grinned. "Ready? You can sleep in the truck. There's room in the back of the cab."

"Thanks." They both piled into the red truck and Harry fell asleep almost instantly. He woke very briefly, only taking in the fact that Daphne had managed to get him on the plane while asleep. He did not wake through the whole trip.

When Harry woke again, he looked about. The plane had stopped and Daphne was up getting her carryon luggage. "Good you're up. This is great, I don't have to wake you up." Daphne said grinning. They walked through customs, and Harry noticed that everyone was speaking English. He logged that away as Daphne flagged a taxi. She gave a street name and the area closest to it. The ride was quiet. It didn't take long for Harry to fall asleep again.

**July 22, 1996 - 7:32 P.M. - Unknown Location**

He dreamt of the one place where he would never wish to go again. Grimmauld Place, the ancestral home of the Ancient and Noble Black family and the house of his late godfather. He woke again to Daphne shaking him. "We're here." Harry glanced up. There was a place that seemed oddly familiar to him, but he could not place his finger on it. Maybe it was the blue sky behind the place. He got out and when behind the taxi to grab his luggage. It was only then that he asked Daphne who she worked for and what she did.

"It will all be explained momentarily." She said getting the door. He walked inside the dark room, completely opposite to the sunshine that was shining outside. The door shut behind him. There was whispering around, a constant murmur of voices. Fear and suspicion rose within Harry, and he reached for his wand. He was seconds away from casting a _Lumos_ when all the lights turned on. It instantly blinded him. All of the voices that were whispering suddenly burst into three words, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY HARRY!" He blinked, visions of familiar faces swam into focus. Daphne was at the side of it all, grinning at his surprised look.

"Wow, I didn't expect this at all!" Harry said, grinning from ear to ear.

" 'Course you didn't mate, other wise you wouldn't have brought out your wand!" Ron said grinning. It took only a few moments to locate the tall redhead as he moved through the crowd with relative ease. Hermione was beside him. There was something different about the two of them. Harry glanced up and down. They were holding hands!

"When'd this happen?" Harry asked grinning at the duo. They both blushed bright Weasley red.

"Ron asked me just after you e-mailed the first time. We wanted to tell you face to face." Hermione spoke.

"I'm happy for you." Harry said grinning, but secretly wishing he had someone too. Unconsciously, he brought his hand to the cheek that Burt had kissed the day before.

It didn't take long for Harry to be swamped in the group of well wishers and friends. He could smell the faint scent of Molly's cooking, and realized that his stomach was hungry. He excused himself to go look for something to eat in the kitchen. When he got there, he saw something he never would have expected.

**July 22, 1996 - 8:16 P.M. - Location Unknown**

He allowed himself a small grin of triumph. He looked at the small prize he had clenched in his fist, and remembered, if not for the first time, the legend behind the precious stone tightly grasped in his hand. _Maybe, it would not hurt to test the stone, to see if it is truly what the legends say it is. _He nodded, he would attempt the ritual. He would see them all again. He turned the precious piece twice, and slowly placed it upon his hand. It was almost on when he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. Something was not right. He glanced around at the aftermath of his attempts at getting to this small piece, and shrugged. Maybe it was because he did not clean up. Either way, he wanted, no needed to put on this ring now. As he slipped it on, he gasped.

He did not trust his instincts, and now he would pay dearly.

**July 22, 1996 - 8:34 P.M. - Grimmauld Place, London, England**

Inside the kitchen was both Daphne and Remus. Remus was staring at the redhead as she was washing the dishes.

"Wings?" Remus croaked, almost disbelieving. Daphne turned and dropped the plate that was in her hand. She gasped.

"Rom?" She spoke, almost as if she were seeing a ghost.

"You haven't called me that in a long time." Remus said, chuckling. He face grew somber. "How do I know that it is really you? I mean... When all light fails..."

"Depend on the darkness' embrace and the light in your heart to show you the way." She spoke softly, grinning. Remus' eyes lit up, and he reached to hug her. They embraced. This was when Harry decided to break it up. He coughed.

"Aunt Daphne." Harry called. The two broke apart in an instant.

"Yes Nephew Harry," she said, grinning.

"How do you know Remus?" It came out, he didn't mean to say that of all things.

"We were friends in school." Daphne said. "Now go on, I am pretty sure that Molly is looking for you to cut the cake." She said. Harry nodded, and walked out of the room, leaving the two adults to stand.

"Why didn't you end up with her?" Daphne said turning back to the dishes.

"He had asked her out the day we broke up, then you never came back. She turned to him, and that was the end of that." Remus spoke, remorse evident in his voice.

**July 22, 1996 - 9:30 P.M. - Outside of Grimmauld Place, London, England**

A figure appeared, in the blink of an eye. The figure had on a black cloak, covering everything. She walked to the side walk and placed something on the ground. It was a small button. She stood back and began muttering a spell in a language long forgotten. An ice black beam of light shot out from somewhere in her cloak and hit the small button. Slowly the button grew until it turned into a sullen man. The man's eyes opened and glanced at the cloaked figure. He stood upright for only a few moments before he was doubled over, vomiting the contents of his stomach out on the grass.

He fell to the ground, and lay down for a moment. "Sorry." A voice spoke softly. If a regular human had been paying attention, they might have caught it. As it stood, he wasn't regular. He picked up on the voice quickly.

"What for? You saved my life." He said, voice weak because it was unused. His voice gave the fact that he was laughing, if he had the possibility to.

"I forgot how unpleasant that spell was." The figure said. The man gave a bark of a laugh.

"Unpleasant is an understatement. I never want to be a button again."

"I'm sorry it was so long as well, I could not get away."

"It's alright.." He began, only now noticing that the figure had disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared minutes before. The man stumbled to the door of Number 12, and leaned on it for a moment before twisting the door knob.

**July 22, 1996 - 10:02 P.M. - Front room of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London, England**

Laughter erupted from the mouths of the rooms occupants. That is until the door knob turned. Then there were gasps of disbelief, and screams. Underneath all of the new noise, one green eyed wizard spoke a single word, while glancing at the man. "Sirius?"

* * *

**A grim star, with it's fiery ball of inferno, shall never fade, only disappear for a few moments. - **Grim - Sirius' animagus form, star- meaning Sirius the dog star. Reappeared.


	9. Chapter 8: Meeting of the Minds Sort of

**AN:** Don't kill me for it being so long. This chapter was like pulling teeth. I knew what I wanted from it, but it would not come at all. I really wanted to write the next chapter so badly that my muse skipped this one. I'll try and have another chapter out soon. At least sooner than the year+ it took me to write this one.

* * *

_The Fire Phoenix is, obviously, closely related with fire. It is hypothesized that those who are Fire Phoenixes go through a burning of some sort while finding their inner Phoenix. Others have simply guessed that the Fire Phoenix, as it is the most common will never be an inner Phoenix, only a Phoenix Originus, or Original Phoenix. -_ An Excerpt from Phoenix and You by L.M. And D.R. Evans

Chapter 8 - Meetings of the Minds (Sort of)

**July 22 1996 – 10:03 p.m. – Front Room of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London, England**

The room instantly became stiff and quiet. Everyone within the room was either too shocked or waiting for orders from a superior. Harry tensed with the collective group as Remus walked in, back towards the intruder.

"What's going on? Why is everyone so quiet all of a sudden?" Remus spoke grinning, obviously not aware. Someone within the crowd pointed to the opened door, where a dead man stood. Remus turned and stood, breathing heavily.

"Remus? Does he smell right?" Harry asked, moving towards the front of the crowd. Remus barely glanced at him. He stared at the man, as if seeing a ghost. Very gradually he moved his head a centimeter. Just enough to let Harry know that it was indeed him, the one that the believed dead.

"How?" Remus asked, his voice hoarse, unsure still. The figure standing moved to stumble before collapsing. It seemed that after he moved everyone else snapped out of their trance. Harry ran to Sirius Black, a man whom everyone believed to be dead. Everyone pitched in to help move him up the stairs. Madame Pomfrey moved to aid the Marauder. Quickly casting a diagnostics charm on him, she glanced at Remus and Harry.

"He will be fine. He apparently is asleep." Pomfrey said. Remus snorted.

"He always could sleep through anything." Remus quirked. Agreeing that Madame Pomfrey would watch over Sirius, they left for bed, telling Pomfrey to call someone if Sirius woke. Daphne had already gone to bed earlier, so she did not hear the commotion. As most drifted, one thought crossed their minds. Nothing else could surprise them.

**July 23, 1996 – 9:48 a.m. – Front Foyer of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London, England**

Crashing straight into the grates of the fireplace, Albus Dumbledore slipped out of the fireplace for the morning meeting. Careful to cover his arm, as the curse that was placed on the ring had traveled to another finger during the night.

Walking into the kitchen, he noticed Molly Weasley bussling about getting ready for that morning's breakfast. When she spotted the Headmaster, she ran over to him, offering him tea and coffee. He declined, mentioning only that he would like to see Severus Snape. She nodded and went to go fetch him. Bringing down the sleep-weary man was a challenge, but nothing she couldn't handle. Ronald was worst in the morning. She thrusted a cup of coffee (black, of course) in his face and spoke the magical words "The Headmaster needs to see you." for him to speed downstairs. When she got downstairs herself, the two men were discussing something in hush tones. They immediately stopped once she came in the room.

"Molly, I believe that we are going to have an Order meeting in a hour. Could you alert the rest of the Order?" The headmaster asked the motherly woman. Nodding, Molly walked to the fireplace and leaned down. It was a good thing that there was a spell for arthritis, otherwise she would not be as limber as she was today. Smiling, she began the long list of calls, which would start the tree of calls.

**July 23, 1996 – 11:01 a.m. - Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, 12 Grimmauld Place, Somewhere in London, England**

The group assembled together made Daphne anxious. She hadn't been around this large a crowd since her Hogwarts years, too many years ago. She sat beside Remus who smiled nervously beside her. This was her first Order meeting. People continued to glance at her, watching her closely. She understood why, however she felt uncomfortable with all the stares.

Uncertain when the meeting would begin, she merely waited for someone to begin. When Dumbledore and Severus Snape walked through the main doors to the room, everyone grew quiet. Remus took her hand, attempting to send some comfort through the skin contact. Dumbledore walked to the opposite end of the table, the head, and stood. Snape sat at his right side.

"I motion to call the meeting of the Order of the Phoenix to order." Dumbledore spoke. If his entrance into the room had not quieted the room, the announcement did. Someone called out to second the motion. All called in favor of the motion. The motion passed unanomously. Voices spoke out in roll call. Remus spoke before her. When she spoke, she stumbled upon her name.

"Daphne Br- Evans."

The reaction to her name was mixed. There were few that did not. They knew only of Lily Evans by her married name. Others reacted because they knew the last name, not the person. The smallest group of people reacted to her, as a person. Some had their suspicions, others had no idea. She did not feel she had changed much, however others recognized her based on their impressions of Lily. Whispers broke out amongst the assembled group. Those who did not recognize her name were told by their neighbours. Those who did not know her well spoke of her past.

It took Dumbledore almost three minutes to regain the order in the meeting.

Once order was reestablished, the roll call continued, ending with Severus. The quill, enchanted by Severus, recorded every loud word spoken.

The meeting continued, restating previous business, then working towards current business. She had zoned out at that point. It was when Remus squeezed her hand that she returned to the meeting. Glancing at the hand holding hers, she removed it from his grasp, subtly attempting to tell him that she did not want to be very close.

She glanced briefly around the room, finding all eyes to be upon her. "My apologies, my thoughts were elsewhere."

Mad-Eye Moody gave her a glance over with both eyes. "Will the wards hold?" She assumed from all that she knew about what they were talking about that he was speaking of the Native American wards surrounding Canada.

"I've lived under the wards for more than five years. The natives are constantly strengthening it. I'd put all of my money on the wards staying up. As far as I know, no one else has one of the informative books that I have on the subject." Daphne spoke, measured.

"Then we shall assume that Harry will be safe there for the foreseeable future." Dumbledore said, addressing the masses. The meeting continued as it would have.

Dumbledore asked the group whether anyone had any other business to deal with. He made the motion to end the meeting, which someone seconded. They voted, and it was unanimous. People began filing out when Dumbledore called Daphne back to talk.

She walked to the headmaster. He looked at her with one of the most fiercest looks in her direction.

"Why did you leave?" He asked in a somber voice.

"Wouldn't you leave if the man you loved was a lie?" She asked quietly.

"Had you stayed everything would have been fine!" He burst, seeming to have held it in for a few days. She walked away from him, towards the doors. He followed her, as if stalking prey.

"You should not have left!" He yelled. It attracted the attention of all in the room. She turned, her hair flying around her.

"Don't talk to me about what I should have done. Why would I stay with a lie?" She yelled. Tears began forming in her eyes. "Do you honestly think that I feel wonderful about my decision? To come back, only to find that the man that I loved screwed over everything that I ever cared about? How do you think that I feel about my choice?"

**July 23, 1996 – 12:34 p.m. - Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, Somewhere in London, England**

Madame Pomfrey was waiting for someone to re-leave her of watching over the unconscious Sirius Black. Hearing yelling, she walked out to see what was happening. Unfortunately for her, she walked out at the least opportune time.

It was at that point in time when Sirius woke from his unconsciousness and looked around. It took only a few seconds for him to be awake before he began screaming in agony.

Sirius felt like every nerve in his body was burning in fire. As bad as being a button was, this was worse. His scream turned from one of pain to one of agony. The group down in the lobby ran up to the room Sirius was in. Daphne and Remus were the ones that stood in the door frame. When Sirius stopped yelling, Daphne looked at him and said:

''Lily owes me 10 galleons.''

**July 24, 1996 – 3:24 a.m. - Death Eater Headquarters, Unknown Location**

"Master." A voice called out. The body connected to it had on dark robes which hid his face. He was short and pudgey.

"Wormtail, what newsss do you have for me?" A hiss sounded from the throne in the end of the room. The robed figure faced the man. The robes barely hid it, but he was visible trembling.

"One of the snakes has caught Potter's owl." The short man spoke.

"Why iss thisss relevent newss?" The man on the throne glared at the trembling coward in front of him. The man was ugly, bald and had the face that only reminded one of a snake. This was what Lord Voldemort had become after the ritual that resurrected him a year ago.

"The Potter brat does not have a method of communication."

"Wasss the owl carrying anything?" The snake man asked.

"A package for the mudblood girl, Granger. It contained a book called Canadian Wards. I have the letter. Lucious Malfoy expressed an interest in the book. I believe that he will ask you about it." The title of the book grabbed the dark lord's attention.

"Bring me the book Wormtail."

"Yes, Master." Wormtail turned to walk out of the room.

"And Wormtail," The dark lord called. The pathetic excuse for a human being stopped an turned. "_Crucio_." The dark lord said. "You may now go." He spoke, after releasing the curse.

He watched the small man leave the room and shut the door before thinking to himself:

"_I have you now Daphne_."

* * *

**A grim star, with it's fiery ball of inferno, shall never fade, only disappear for a few moments. - **Grim - Sirius' animagus form, star- meaning Sirius the dog star. Reappeared.


	10. Chapter 9: We All Fall Down

AN: I know that the chapter is kind of short, but it just came rushing out all at once.

* * *

**Phoenix Phire Series**

**Book 1: Book of Fire: The Beginning Spark**

_It has been theorized that, if the Native American Wards surrounding Canada should ever fall, the magical backlash would be great. It would affect many families, and bring about a new generation of magic users. Anyone who is under the age of 17 (when most magical cores stop growing) would have magic, and a great deal more than normal. Any wizard who is there will probably have a magical build up. _- An Excerpt from Canadian Wards

Chapter 9: We all Fall Down

**August 2, 1996 – 2: 27 pm – Beach, Somewhere in Canada**

Harry was quite glad that he was back in Canada. As fun as seeing all of his friends again had been, too many things had happened in the time he was there.

First, Sirius Black had come back from the dead. If that wasn't enough for the old Marauder, he had also found his phoenix. A fire phoenix to be precise. It had confirmed Daphne's beliefs that there was a fire phoenix, that was not an original.

Second, it had come to light that not only were Ron and Hermione dating (when did that happen anyway, he never would have guessed that they would get together. In Fred and George's betting pool, he had Ron down for Luna Lovegood and Hermione down for not a Gryffindor. He owed Fred and George twenty galleons.) but Remus and Daphne had dated. He could barely wrap his head around that.

He was listening to the waves, laying on his back on a towel. Beside him, Daphne was there, in a bikini (he tried very hard not to stare, it was very hard not to though). She had texted him to come to the beach rather than the studio that day.

''I'm playing hokey.'' Was all the excuse she gave.

''The sky is so blue.'' She whispered, staring at the clear sky. He closed his eyes, attempting to absorb the energy of the sun. Harry should have known by now that things never were this peaceful around him for long.

Burt screamed. He jerked up, eyes scanning for danger. Burt began sobbing.

''What's the matter?'' He asked, grabbing her hands. She flinched. She muttered jibberish.

''I can't see. I can't see.'' She cried, sobbing.

''I'll call someone for help.'' He said, she held on to him tightly. "I'm not going to leave you." He said, holding on to her hand. He grabbed his cell phone and was about to type in some numbers when it rang.

**August 2, 1996 – 2:32 pm – Daphne's House, Somewhere in Canada**

Daphne smiled with the small cup of coffee she held in her hand. It had only been a few seconds before suddenly, her fireplace flared to life. Frowning, she looked at it. It took her only a few minutes to recognize what had happened. Gasping, she ran to the phone to call Harry.

**August 2, 1996 – 2:32 pm – Beach, Somewhere in Canada**

Harry frowned and answered the call.

"Harry listen- me. -back – now. Wards – fall-..." There seemed to be some form of interference. He recognized the voice.

"Aunt Daphne, there's some kind of interference. I'm going to come back to the house. Something happened to Burt. She just randomly became blind." Harry said. They attempted to exchange a few more words, only everything kept getting jumbled up with the interference. Harry hung up.

"Burt, I'm going to clean up what we were doing, and then I am going to bring you back to the truck. I'll put your motorbike in the back and I'm going to drive you to my house, okay." Burt nodded. Her eyes seemed fine, if not focusing on any one thing. He kept her hand in his, and attempted to clean the beach up with one hand. Sticking a lot of things in the bag sandy, he finished slowly. He grabbed the bag and began to slowly lead Burt to the car. He helped her into the cab before dropping the bag in the back. Frowning, he wondered how to get the bike into the back. Wishing he could just use a levitation charm, he smiled, fooling around for a second in casting it. His eyes widened a bit when the bike levitated on its own. He pegged it as accidental magic until he remembered that any type of magic wouldn't work with the Native American Wards up.

"Crap." He said, leaping over the front of the truck. The car stalled for a few seconds before starting properly. "We've just reached a new level of not good," he muttered to himself.

"What's the matter?" Daphne asked, head turning, as if she attempted to see something.

"It's a long story." He said, before adding in his head _That you probably would not believe anyway. _He began driving quickly, making it into town in fifteen minutes, beating how fast Burt went. It was on his way home that the situation went from bad to worse.

In his rear view mirror he spotted them first. Brooms, with death eaters flying on them. Using one of Daphne's swears, he put his foot on the gas, making them go faster.

"Harry, is something happening?" Burt asked, confused. She felt the car speed up. "Are we passing someone?"

"Not exactly." Harry replied. It was then that the Death Eaters began throwing spells at the car. He had to swerve to avoid some. He had no idea what they would do to the car, and didn't wish to find out. One of the Death Eaters had good aim and hit Burt with a Stupefy curse. She passed out.

Harry took a purposeful wrong turn and managed to lose the Death Eaters. He sped back to Daphne's where she was waiting for him outside. When she saw Burt, she freaked.

"I told you to come alone, not bring a friend!" She yelled, her voice showing her panic.

"The wards fell!" Harry yelled. "Death Eaters are coming, I managed to lose them, but not for long. I need to go grab my wand if we're going to defend ourselves." Harry said, climbing out of the truck. Daphne stopped him, giving him his wand.

"Fawkes is going to take you, and now Burt to headquarters." Daphne said in a no nonsense voice.

"I can help." Harry said, glaring at her.

"Fine, I'll come too." She looked resigned to the fate. She helped him get Burt out of the truck quickly. Telling him to hold tightly to her, she nodded to Fawkes. In the second before Fawkes flashed them out of there, Daphne let go, sending Harry and Burt to the Headquarters and her to fend for herself.

**August 1, 1996 – 6:58 pm – Order of the Phoenix Headquarters, 12 Grimmauld Place, Somewhere in London, England**

Harry and Burt appeared in a puff of flames in the middle of dinner. This, understandingly, caused a deal of excitement amongst those trying to eat.

"Death Eaters are attacking Canada. The wards fell!" Harry yelled. "Aunt Daphne's back there alone." This caused a stir amongst the Order Members who had attended the meeting with Daphne. Madam Pomfrey told Harry to bring him and his friend down off the table.

"Mr Potter, are you alright?" She asked.

"I'm fine, but Burt's not. Claimed something about not being able to see a little bit before the wards fell." He said. Madam Pomfrey nodded. She took Burt from Harry and began moving her up to one of the rooms.

"Professor, we need to go fight the Death Eaters. We need to go back. Aunt Daphne needs to be brought back." Harry said.

"We cannot go in Harry. I am sorry." Dumbledore said, attempting to be grandfatherly.

"What do you mean we can't go back! We have to." Harry said desperately.

Dumbledore sighed. "I will not risk the Order's life for a suspected and recently confirmed Death Eater."


	11. Chapter 10: There Can Only Be One

A/N: Hi everyone. I believe this concludes the first book. I make no promise on when the next one will come out. In all honesty, I will attempt to finish The Beginning of the End first, which has a bit more structure than it did previously. The second book will be called The Book of Earth: Vines Entwined. I will post a chapter here before putting it up. The end has got a sampler of what is to come. I hope you like it. Anyway, happy reading.

* * *

**Phoenix Phire Series**

**Book 1: The Book of Fire: The Beginning Spark**

_Fire phoenixes have the ability to apparate through a puff of fire. Unfortunately, like aparation, Flashing, as it has been dubbed, also has its limits, the most of which being the phoenix has to have a clear view of the place they are flashing to before leaving. It has to match up with where they want to be. Flashing can get around anti-aparation wars quickly and is a useful ability to have, unique to the fire phoenix. _- An Excerpt from Phoenix and You by L.M. And D.R. Evans

Chapter 10: There can only be one...

**August 1, 1996 – 6:59 pm – Order of the Phoenix Headquarters, 12 Grimmauld Place, Somewhere in London, England**

The uproar after Dumbledore's statement only ceased after Dumbledore's wand let off a few blue sparks. Things almost immediately quieted down after that. Sirius and Remus were the first to speak after the sparks were off.

"Impossible. How can Daphne be a Death Eater?" They both screamed. The two were the only ones who had known her before this whole mess started.

"She has been in contact with the Dark Lord himself. His lover. As well, only she would have access to bringing down the wards. She gave away her location to the Death Eaters, and is most likely being sent to Voldemort himself as we speak."

**August 1, 1996 – 3:03 pm – Daphne's House, Somewhere in Canada**

Screaming, Daphne sent off another curse from the minimal protection of the front of the house. She hoped back up would arrive soon, but doubted it. Dumbledore would not believe her story any longer, now the wards were down.

She ducked at another of the emerald green curses, swearing to herself. There wasn't another wizard for miles. She had no way of saving herself. Once the Death Eater's arrived, there was an anti-apparation ward in effect. Not that she could go anywhere, even with her extra powers. Cussing again, she became thankful she didn't live in a more populated area. She had no neighbours except for – _shit!_ She had completely forgotten about her neighbour Tate Darnell. She had to get there, get to him to protect him. He was only a muggle. A muggle which she was pretty sure detested all guns, and would therefore be defenceless. Attempting to get through the Death Eater's before her would be suicide without any back up. Swearing again, dodging another deadly spell, this one bright pink, she attempted to plan an escape to save her neighbour.

After what seemed like hours more of violent spell casting, she had managed to get the Death Eaters down to the end of her driveway, before realizing that going towards the house of the muggle she was trying to protect would be a bad idea, as that would draw attention towards him. She swore again. This day was starting to feel like it should have been spent in bed.

Trying not to cry out, she flinched when on of the less lethal spells hit her. Cruciatus. Pain hit her every nerve. It lasted for seconds before she heard something. Her soul, attempting to disconnect from her body almost laughed at the irony when she thought it was her body screaming for a second. What a stereotype... she would have giggled, if not for the pain. Suddenly, her soul seemed to snap back into place, and the pain disappeared. Slowly growing aware of the world she had almost left, she felt someone by her side.

Her instincts kicked in, and she cast a curse towards the new source of body heat, and then looked at who she hit. Or rather, almost hit. It was Tate, gripping a stick like a life line. Her eyes tried to focus for a moment before realizing that it was a wand he was holding. Even though he was almost hit by her curse, he had a wide grin.

"You certainly know how to show a bloke a good time." He said. "Most fun I've had in years." She stared at him, disbelieving.

A voice from beyond their shelter intoned: "Wonderful, because this will be the last fun you'll have ever."

**August 1, 1996 – 9:34 pm – Order of the Phoenix Headquarters, 12 Grimmauld Place, Somewhere in London, England**

Sirius and Remus talked to Harry quietly. They had been attempting to determine where exactly they should show up at Daphne's. Neither knew where she lived. Harry had tried explaining what her house looked like almost a dozen times, each time, Sirius and Remus went no where. Sirius was trying to use his new found phoenix powers to flash him and Moony to her house, but to no avail. He supposed it didn't help that Harry was whispering, attempting to not wake up Burt, who was slumbering in the bed beside the three men. Harry had almost given up when he remembered that he had his drawing bag with him. He bit his lip, considering the idea, before nodding to himself. He cut off in mid sentence and reached for the bag, drawing out his worn sketchpad and a charcoal. With a sure hand he began sketching Daphne's house, and the location from memory. It took him almost 20 minutes to have a good enough sketch for Sirius, but when he did, it was almost lifelike. Handing the two Mauraders the sketchpad, Harry, tried to make himself smaller. He hated critique. Sirius looked surprised, and Remus looked shocked. Both men glanced at the boy and looked to each other. They would speak later, when all was said and done.

Sirius placed the drawing on the bedside table before concentrating on his phoenix magic. Pulling it from deep within him, he transformed easily. Remus took one of his feathers and Sirius concentrated on the image before disappearing with a burst of flame.

**August 1, 1996 – 5:36 pm – Daphne's House, Somewhere in Canada**

The first thing that Remus and Sirius noted was that the fighting had moved further down the road while they were figuring out how to get her. Second was rather than one set of spells being sent to the Death Eaters, there were two. Third was what worried them most. One of the dark cloaked people moving below didn't wear a mask. There was no Death Eater that did was allowed to not wear a mask. Only their master never wore a mask. The two looked at each other and ran, beginning to cast spells.

Daphne barely noticed when another set of spells were sent at the Death Eaters. She was still getting over her shock at Tate being a wizard. As well as Lord Voldemort talking to them. Dodging behind an old tree, she spotted Sirius Black shooting spells at Death Eaters, and having a wild time of it. She highly doubted shooting a transfiguration charm at them would do any damage. Then she saw what happened when the spell hit and winced. She would never be able to look at rubber ducks the same way again. She had, sadly, forgotten some of the spells that she, James and Sirius used in their free time, especially when Death Eaters attacked Hogsmade one weekend. She wasn't certain who they were more afraid of after that, their 'Dark Lord' or fighting Sirius and James again.

She was more concerned over Voldemort. (She refused to call him Tom, even though Dumbledore insisted he had gone to the dark side. She liked to pretend that they were two separate people, no matter what Dumbledore said.) She continued to catch her breathe behind the old tree, when Voldemort caught Tate.

Immediately, she burst from behind the tree and cast a few spells. All missed. He was about to die, when Tate decided to ask the oddest question.

"If your going to kill me, at least tell me who the hell you are." Everyone blinked. Who hadn't heard of Lord Voldemort.

"I am Lord Voldemort, muggle scum." The snake man answered.

"He's also Tom Riddle." Remus yelled, his concentration being torn away for a moment in battle. Tate blinked.

"Tom Marvolo Riddle?" Tate asked, face screwed up in confusion. Voldemort lowered his wand for a second, before Sirius confirmed what Tate magically seemed to know.

"Impossible." Everyone turned and looked at the two of them. Even the Death Eaters were wondering who would outlandishly dismiss the Dark Lord's name. "There can only be one Tom Marvolo Riddle. I am he." Daphne almost dropped her wand in shock. Tate lifted his wand and removed the hair dye he had in his hair by magical means. Suddenly, Daphne gasped in shock, again.

Everyone on the field seemed to be trying to grasp that thought. That was when the rest of the Order showed up, intent on rescuing Remus and Sirius from Daphne's 'evil clutches'. When it was found that she was fighting for their side, the battle continued until the anti-apparation ward was dropped and the Death Eaters and Voldemort disapparated.

When the Order dragged Tate-Tom... she really didn't know how to refer to him – to the Headmaster, the Headmaster seemed to be shocked into silence.

"Dumbledore, I'm surprised at you. You haven't seen me in fifty years, and nothing to say?" The dark haired man said. Dumbledore attempted to understand the process of how Tom Riddle was fifty years in the future and not looking like he was seventy.

"How?" was the only thing that Dumbledore managed to get out.

"Apparently after I followed Mel to this time, I got a very bad case of mistaken identity." Sirius poked him in the cheek with his wand.

"Mel?"

"Daphne, I believe you all know her as." Eyes turned to the witch in question who looked entirely confused. Tom looked at her the way he always seemed to, making her insides melt. Close to crying at everything that had happened, she almost lost it. She walked slowly to him. Everyone else seemed to freeze, as if in a trance. She fell to her knees in front of him, eyes now level with each other. She reached out, touching his cheek, making sure he was real, before wrapping her arms around him and sobbing:

"He's real. You're here."

* * *

That didn't leave at a horrible ending did it? Here is the preview I promised for the next book.

_"What's wrong with Miss Smith is actually quite obvious Mr Potter."_

_"The minister is in charge of the ICW's efforts in Canada." _

_"Obliviating everyone is unpleasent. I am going to need Miss Smith."_

_"She has to stay!" _


	12. Authors Note: Next Book Up

Hi everyone. I know I said yesterday (or maybe today... it was a little late) that I would be focusing on The Beginning of the End, but I had a lovely reviewer who basically told me that nothing ended up making sense in the end. The first chapter is up now. Take this to my profile and go to the Book of Earth. Reviews give me incentive to write. If you are confused say so. If more than one person is confused, I will attempt to fix it or explain it better. Please, authors live on feedback. I don't get paid to do this, but I feel that reading reviews makes things worth while sometimes.

Anyway, enough of my rant. I cannot promise how quickly the next book will come out, only that there still are plans for the rest of the books. Hopefully you continue to read, and I don't lose anyone.


End file.
